Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

After fifteen days of National People's Congress meeting, my country's first constitution, the "Constitution of the People's Republic of China", was passed.

Also passed at the same time were the "Resolution on the Government Work Report", "Organization Law of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China", "Organization Law of the State Council of the People's Republic of China", "Organization Law of the Courts of the People's Republic of China", "Organization Law of the People's Procuratorates of the People's Republic of China", "Organization Law of Local People's Congresses and Local People's Committees at All Levels of the People's Republic of China", and "Resolution on the Continued Validity of Existing Laws and Decrees of the People's Republic of China".

The Constitution stipulates that both the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) meet every five years.

In fact, it's all about following the Party Congress. From this moment on, the Party Congress, the National People's Congress, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference will be held simultaneously. They'll all be held every five years. This will facilitate coordination and demonstrate that the People's Republic of China is a country where the Communist Party leads and multiple parties cooperate; the Communist Party governs and multiple parties participate in politics.

According to the resolutions passed this time, the first was the "Organic Law of the State Council of the People's Republic of China," officially establishing the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The State Council's power far surpasses that of the former State Council, and the two have different levels. The former State Council was an administrative department under the leadership of the Central People's Government, normally a sub-national level unit. However, with its transformation into the State Council, it became a national level unit.

The newly established State Council is not merely a transformation of the State Council, but rather a merger of the former Central People's Government and the State Council, forming the new central government. According to the Constitution, the State Council is the executive body of the highest organ of state power, the highest state administrative body. It is elected by, accountable to, and reports to the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, the highest organ of state power.

The "Organic Law of the Courts of the People's Republic of China" and the "Organic Law of the Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China" passed at the same time established the "one government, two courts" system of New China. That is, the People's Government, the People's Court, and the People's Procuratorate are elected by the National People's Congress, are responsible to the National People's Congress, and are subject to its supervision.

According to the "Resolution on the Continuation of Validity of Current Laws and Regulations of the People's Republic of China," the National People's Congress recognized all legal provisions previously promulgated by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Laws previously adopted by the CPPCC, such as the "Civil Code," "Criminal Code," "Economic Code," "Revolutionary Law," and "Land Law," will continue to be implemented.

In fact, not much was actually decided at this meeting.

The main purpose is to clarify that the power organ is transferred from the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to the National People's Congress.

After this meeting, the Central People's Government, established at the First National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, ceased to exist. Therefore, the meeting elected Comrade Li Desheng as President of the People's Republic of China, with the Commander-in-Chief, Song Qingling, and Marshal Nie as Vice Chairmen. Unlike historical practice, where there was only one Vice Chair, the Commander-in-Chief, this time and space now had three Vice Chairmen.

Comrade Xiu Yang was elected Chairman of the Standing Committee of the First National People's Congress, Dong Biwu was elected President of the Supreme People's Court, and Zhang Dingcheng was elected Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate. Based on the Chairman's nomination, the Tianhui elected Comrade Wu Hao as Premier of the State Council.

After Comrade Xiu Yang became Chairman of the National People's Congress, Song Qingling, Lin Boqu, Li Jisen, Zhang Lan, Luo Shi, Shen Junru, Guo Moruo, Huang Yanpei, Peng Zhen, Li Weihan, Chen Shutong, the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, and Saifuding Azizi (Uyghur) were elected as Vice Chairpersons of the National People's Congress.

At the same time, Peng Zhen was elected Secretary-General of the National People's Congress Committee.

In fact, after the Central People's Government was abolished, many former members of the Central People's Government could not enter the State Council, so they all came to the National People's Congress to serve as vice-chairmen.

There are even more standing committee members below.

In fact, there are many overlaps with the previous list of members of the Central People's Government.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress is composed of its Chairman, Vice Chairmen, and Secretary-General. Peng Zhen serves as both Vice Chairmen and Secretary-General. Therefore, it was decided that the daily work of the Standing Committee would be handled individually by Chairman Xiu Yang, First Vice Chairwoman Song Qingling, and Vice Chairwoman and Secretary-General Peng Zhenlan.

In fact, Peng Zhen is responsible for handling the daily work of the National People's Congress.

The Central Committee did not want to see the chaotic atmosphere in the Secretariat any longer. The Secretariat was the body that handled the daily work of the Central Committee, and the conflict between Peng Zhen and Rao Shushi was too serious. Therefore, the Central Committee specifically transferred Peng Zhen to handle the daily work of the National People's Congress.

After arranging the work of the National People's Congress, the real highlight comes.

Comrade Wu Hao nominated Chen Yun, Marshal Nie, Wei Hongjun, General Peng, General He, Deng Xixian, Lin Shi, Ji Fuchun, Jiao Zhihui, and Mao Zemin as Vice Premiers. Although some of these people were nominated as Vice Premiers, they would not be responsible for specific positions in the State Council.

For example, General Peng, General He, and Marshal Lin were all CMC cadres. They had their own responsibilities within the CMC and were responsible for handling the CMC's daily work. Therefore, their title of Vice Premier of the State Council was simply a symbolic gesture, demonstrating that the military also had a role within the highest administrative body.

Especially Coach Lin.

He is still recuperating in Qingdao and did not even attend the National People's Congress meeting.

The physical condition is very poor.

In his report to the Central Committee, Marshal Lin stated that he was suffering from severe insomnia, unable to sleep for days on end. Doctors diagnosed the primary impact of the penetrating gunshot wound in the center of his chest. The penetrating scar tissue compressed the sympathetic nerves within the lateral angles of the thoracic spine, causing autonomic and metabolic disorders. Later, improper use of atropine resulted in sequelae.

So Coach Lin is currently very afraid of the wind.

Not to mention working, even living a normal life presents many problems.

Therefore, Marshal Lin's current position is essentially a nominal one. After learning of Marshal Lin's health, Chairman Mao sought the doctor's advice. He also copied Cao Cao's four-character poem "Turtle's Longevity" and presented it to Marshal Lin, hoping that he would take good care of himself.

Mao Zemin was the only one among the ten who was not a member or alternate member of the Politburo but was nominated as Vice Premier while still a member of the Central Committee. This was mainly because the responsibilities he was responsible for were becoming increasingly numerous and important.

There is no progress within the party for the time being, but he must be given the position of Deputy Prime Minister. Otherwise, the work cannot be carried out.

After voting, the National People's Congress determined these ten people as vice premiers of the State Council.

The meeting also decided to establish the National Defense Committee. Comrade Li Desheng was appointed Chairman of the First National Defense Committee, with the Commander-in-Chief, Marshal Nie, General Peng, Wei Hongjun, Deng Xixian, Marshal Lin, Marshal Liu, General He, Marshal Chen, Marshal Luo, Marshal Xu, Marshal Ye, Yang Quanwu, Cheng Qian, Zhang Zhizhong, and Long Yun serving as Vice Chairmen.

From this moment on, the work of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, previously led by the Central People's Government, was terminated. Thus ended the First National People's Congress.

The physical condition is very poor.

In his report to the Central Committee, Marshal Lin stated that he was suffering from severe insomnia, unable to sleep for days on end. Doctors diagnosed the primary impact of the penetrating gunshot wound in the center of his chest. The penetrating scar tissue compressed the sympathetic nerves within the lateral angles of the thoracic spine, causing autonomic and metabolic disorders. Later, improper use of atropine resulted in sequelae.

So Coach Lin is currently very afraid of the wind.

Not to mention working, even living a normal life presents many problems.

Therefore, Marshal Lin's current position is essentially a nominal one. After learning of Marshal Lin's health, Chairman Mao sought the doctor's advice. He also copied Cao Cao's four-character poem "Turtle's Longevity" and presented it to Marshal Lin, hoping that he would take good care of himself.

Mao Zemin was the only one among the ten who was not a member or alternate member of the Politburo but was nominated as Vice Premier while still a member of the Central Committee. This was mainly because the responsibilities he was responsible for were becoming increasingly numerous and important.

There is no progress within the party for the time being, but he must be given the position of Deputy Prime Minister. Otherwise, the work cannot be carried out.

After voting, the National People's Congress determined these ten people as vice premiers of the State Council.

The meeting also decided to establish the National Defense Committee. Comrade Li Desheng was appointed Chairman of the First National Defense Committee, with the Commander-in-Chief, Marshal Nie, General Peng, Wei Hongjun, Deng Xixian, Marshal Lin, Marshal Liu, General He, Marshal Chen, Marshal Luo, Marshal Xu, Marshal Ye, Yang Quanwu, Cheng Qian, Zhang Zhizhong, and Long Yun serving as Vice Chairmen.

From this moment on, the work of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, previously led by the Central People's Government, was terminated. Thus ended the First National People's Congress.

915 State Council Reform

After the First National People's Congress, various agencies were busy, as they had to reshuffle the work of many officials. The first was Peng Zhen. Peng Zhen's previous move against Rao Shushi was reckless. If it had succeeded, it would have been a good move. Unfortunately, while it had some effect, it didn't truly achieve its goal, and many criticized it. The timing was particularly bad, as it happened right after the Eighth National Congress and before the National People's Congress. Everyone within the Party hoped to convene the First National People's Congress in a safe and stable manner. To do something like this at this time would have displeased many.

This time he is the Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the National People's Congress, so he can focus all his energy on the work of the National People's Congress.

The National People's Congress had just been established and was still very imperfect.

Suitable for being in charge of NPC work.

Moreover, the current National People's Congress was newly established and still held considerable power. Peng Zhen, after joining the National People's Congress, would be practically second in command, aside from Comrade Xiuyang. Song Qingling, while the first vice-chairperson, was more of a symbolic figure.

Peng Zhen then resigned from his position as Minister of Organization.

At the Politburo meeting, a new head of the Organization Department was chosen. The Chairman personally recommended Chen Tanqiu, alternate member of the Politburo and Secretary of the Secretariat, for the position. The Chairman rarely personally nominated candidates at Politburo meetings. Given his current status and prestige, a nomination by him would essentially obviate the need for a meeting. However, this time, the Chairman broke with tradition and personally nominated Chen Tanqiu for the position. The Chairman's nomination disrupted Peng Zhen's plan to recommend An Ziwen for the position, and also disrupted Rao Shushi's plans to become head of the Organization Department.

But no one could object to Chen Tanqiu's appointment.

It wasn't because he was recommended by the Chairman. Rather, it was because Chen Tanqiu was a delegate to the First National Congress and one of the founders of the Wuhan Communist Party, a true veteran of the CCP. He possessed extensive experience and significant contributions, and more importantly, he had worked diligently over the years without demanding anything from the Central Committee simply because of his seniority. Since returning to Yan'an, he hadn't held a fixed position. He did whatever the Central Committee asked him to do, and never complained about any position he was given.

It's hard for anyone to oppose such a cadre. If you even oppose Chen Tanqiu's appointment, how will you be viewed within the Party? So, in the end, Chen Tanqiu became the Organization Department Minister.

In addition to adjusting the Organization Department, the Politburo meeting abolished the original Rural Work Committee and replaced it with the Central Rural Work Department, which became a department directly managed by the Central Committee and the Politburo.

Wei Hongjun was appointed Minister of the Central Rural Work Department, Deng Zhihui was appointed First Vice Minister, Li Shaocheng was appointed Second Vice Minister, Lai Ruoyu was appointed Third Vice Minister, Zhao Dezun was appointed Fourth Vice Minister, and Zhang Linchi was appointed Secretary-General. In essence, it was just the Rural Work Committee with a new name.

It's just a signal that the central government is paying more attention to rural work.

Because the Central Rural Work Department is directly responsible to the Central Committee and the Politburo, any work of the Rural Work Department can be reported directly to the Central Committee without going through other procedures.

This is an adjustment at the Party Committee level. The State Council is even busier.

The establishment of the State Council was only the first step. Following its establishment, the State Council underwent major internal restructuring. First, the State Council Party Leadership Group was reorganized, with the Premier serving as Secretary of the State Council Party Leadership Group, Chen Yun as First Deputy Secretary, Nie Shuai as Second Deputy Secretary, Wei Hongjun as Third Deputy Secretary, and Deng Xixian as Fourth Deputy Secretary.

At that time, there was no position of State Councilor in the State Council, so the Standing Committee of the State Council consisted of the Premier, Vice Premiers and Secretary-General.

The Secretary-General of the State Council this time is Lin Feng, formerly First Secretary of the Northeast Bureau. Following the Korean War, the Northeast Bureau and the Northeast Administrative Committee were officially disbanded. After being promoted to the central government, Lin Feng served as Secretary-General and Director of the General Office of the State Council, and also served as a member of the State Council Standing Committee.

This time, the State Council was established. Chen Yun served as the First Deputy Secretary of the State Council Party Committee, the highest-ranking Vice Premier. He was no longer in charge of a specific department. Instead, he worked with the Premier to oversee the overall work of the State Council. Chen Yun's role was similar to that of Executive Vice Premier of the State Council.

Overall, the central government is very satisfied with Chen Yun's work in the Finance and Economics Committee in recent years.

Then came Chen Shuai, who directly served as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Chen Shuai came to the State Council to be in charge of diplomatic affairs. As for other work in the State Council, Chen Shuai did not participate.

And Deng Xixian.

His division of labor is also relatively simple.

The Planning Commission of the State Council was renamed the State Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China, a newly established department of the State Council. Deng Xixian served as the Director of the State Planning Commission, with full responsibility for its work.

Although the State Planning Commission wasn't as powerful as it had been during the time Gao Gang was in charge, it was still a crucial agency under the State Council. After all, it was the agency that formulated the First Five-Year Plan.

The previous several committees under the Executive Yuan will be restructured. The four existing committees will be abolished: the Political and Legal Committee, the Finance and Economics Committee, the Culture and Education Committee, and the Civil Service Supervision Committee.

The State Planning Commission and the National Organization Committee shall be retained.

After the abolition of the four major committees, the State Council established nine offices, starting from the first office and continuing to the ninth office, which were responsible for the work of several ministries.

In addition to work reasons, another reason for setting up so many offices this time is to arrange cadres.

With the abolition of the original local central bureaus and local administrative committees, a large number of Qianbu (thousand officials) from the fifth and sixth administrative levels and above arrived in Beijing. With so many high-ranking Qianbu arriving in Beijing, you need to find positions for them. If you follow the old State Council, many Qianbu would be left without a position.

Of course this won't work.

Since the central government abolished the local central bureaus and local administrative committees, it was necessary to properly arrange these thousands of departments to avoid any aftereffects. This is why the State Council now has nine offices under its jurisdiction. Each of these offices is responsible for several ministries and commissions, allowing it to arrange for a large number of cadres at once.

The First Office is responsible for the work of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Supervision. Comrade Zhao Zhensheng, former Party Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, was promoted to the Central Committee and appointed Director of the First Office. Comrade Zhu Qiwen, former Secretary-General of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the State Council, and Comrade Wu Defeng, former Secretary-General of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the Central-South Military and Political Committee, served as Deputy Directors, respectively.

Zhu Qiwen was a graduate of China University. China University was founded by Sun Yat-sen, modeled after Japan's Waseda University. Song Jiaoren and Huang Xing served as its first and second presidents, respectively. This university trained numerous CCP cadres, many of whom participated in the subsequent Jidong Uprising. Zhu Qiwen was one of the leading figures in the Jidong Uprising and later traveled to Jin-Cha-Ji to oversee legal affairs. When Marshal Nie presided over the Political and Legal Committee of the State Council, Zhu Qiwen served as secretary-general.

Wu Defeng was a veteran cadre introduced to the Party during the Great Revolution by Dong Biwu and Chen Tanqiu. He served as Director of the Transportation Bureau. This Transportation Bureau wasn't the Ministry of Transportation as many people think, but rather the Qianbu (Department) responsible for the CCP's transportation lines. For example, during the Seven Days Movement, Wu Defeng arranged the escort of local leaders and representatives of the Seven Days Movement to Yan'an. Previously, he was a key Qianbu (Department) of the Central-South Bureau. Now that both the Central-South Bureau and the Central-South Administrative Committee are gone, he has been transferred to the Central Committee.

The Second Office is responsible for the work of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, Xinhua News Agency, and the broadcasting industry. Xi Zhongxun, Secretary of the Secretariat and Minister of Propaganda, serves as the director of the Second Office.

Duan Chengwei, Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department, and Qian Junrui, former Secretary-General of the Culture and Education Commission, Deputy Minister of Education, and Party Secretary, have been appointed as Deputy Directors of the Second Office. This signals that the Party Central Committee is further strengthening its control over propaganda.

This is why two Propaganda Department officials, Xi Zhongxun and Duan Chengwei, were appointed to the State Council. Of course, Xi Zhongxun and Duan Chengwei's arrival at the State Council did not mean they would no longer have Propaganda Department responsibilities. They remained as Minister and Vice Minister of the Propaganda Department, but simply strengthened the ties between the Secretariat and the State Council.

The Third Office was responsible for the Ministry of Heavy Industry, the First Ministry of Machine Building, the Second Ministry of Machine Building, and the Ministry of Construction. Former Finance Minister Bo Shuchun served as its director. Bo Shuchun had been stuck in his position for several years due to the national debt crisis.

However, Bo Shuchun had been working diligently and diligently at the Ministry of Finance in recent years, achieving remarkable results. Therefore, when the Third Office was established, Bo Shuchun naturally became the director.

Sun Zhiyuan, former secretary-general of the Southwest Military and Political Committee and deputy secretary-general of the State Council, and Gu Mu, former director of the Industrial and Asian Department of the East China Bureau and deputy secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, served as deputy directors of the Third Office.

Among them, Sun Zhiyuan had been involved in the revolution in the Hebei-Central region and served as the director of the political department of the Hebei-Central Military Region for a time. Later, he went to the Pusui Military Region and served as the director of the political department of the First Corps during the War of Liberation and the secretary-general of the Southwest Military and Political Committee.

Gu Mu was involved in the revolution in Shandong during the Anti-Japanese War. After the victory of the war, he served as Secretary-General of the East China Bureau. After the Battle of Jinan, he became Secretary of the Jinan Municipal Party Committee. Later, he served as Second Deputy Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Minister of Industry of the East China Bureau.

This is all because the local central bureaus and local administrative committees canceled the transfer of cadres to the central government.

The Ministry of Construction, under the Third Office, was a newly established department following the formation of the State Council. Chen Zhengren, who joined the Party in 25, participated in the Jinggangshan struggle, and served as a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Soviet Republic, was appointed Minister of Construction. Song Yuhe, formerly Vice Minister of the Ministry of Food Industry and later Vice Minister of the Ministry of Light Industry, was appointed First Vice Minister. Wan Li, former Minister of Industry of the Southwest Military and Political Committee, was appointed Second Vice Minister. Ma Changgeng, former Commander of the Capital Construction Engineering Corps of the North China Military Region, who had moved south to the east, was elected Third Vice Minister of Construction.

The Fourth Office was responsible for the work of the Ministry of Electric Power Industry, the Ministry of Coal Industry, the Ministry of Petroleum Industry, and the Ministry of Geology. Ji Xuefeng, formerly Deputy Secretary of the Central-South Bureau, Vice Chairman of the Central-South Administrative Committee, and Deputy Secretary-General of the Central Committee, who was elected to the Secretariat at the Eighth National Congress, served as Director of the Fourth Office.

Lin Dafeng, former Minister of Fuel Industry and Minister of Electric Power Industry, and Liu Jie, former Minister of Industry of the Central-South Military and Political Committee and later Deputy Minister of Geology and Party Secretary, served as deputy directors of the Fourth Office.

After the Anti-Japanese War, Liu Jie continued to participate in the Jin-Cha-Ji Revolution, serving as Deputy Secretary of the Ji-Re-Cha District Committee and Secretary of the Chahar Provincial Committee. Following the Pingjin Campaign, he followed the Fourth Field Army southward and served as Minister of Industry under the Central-South Military and Political Committee. After being transferred to the Ministry of Geology, where Ji Siguang was Minister, he became Deputy Minister and Party Secretary.

The Fifth Office was responsible for the work of the Ministry of Textile Industry, the Ministry of Light Industry, the Ministry of Local Industry, the Ministry of Labor, and the Central Handicraft Administration. Zeng Shan, formerly Deputy Director of the Finance and Economics Committee and Minister of the Ministry of Textile Industry, served as Director of the Fifth Office.

Jia Tuofu, former member of the Standing Committee of the Northwest Bureau, Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee, and member of the Finance and Economics Committee, and Song Shaowen, former Secretary-General of the Finance and Economics Committee, serve as deputy directors of the Fifth Office.

Jia Tuofu was a native of Shaanxi. However, he later reported to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and joined the Long March of the Central Red Army. He later spent most of his time in the Shaanxi Revolution, until he became the Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee.

Song Shaowen, a graduate of Peking University's History Department, participated in the founding of the Sacrifice Alliance in 1936 and served as its Propaganda Director. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, his identity remained hidden, so he worked for Yan Xishan, serving as the County Magistrate of Wutai County. In 1938, he arrived in Jinchayi and subsequently worked in Puchaji. After the establishment of the North China People's Government, he served as Secretary-General of its Finance and Economics Committee.

The Ministry of Local Industry, under the Fifth Office, is a newly established department of the State Council. It manages local light industry.